Latest News

St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi-Academy Trust hosted a SEND Conference

The theme of the Conference was “Planning ahead for 2026-27: Exploring practical ways to 
support inclusion, considering some of the key challenges practitioners are currently facing.”
We were delighted that Aimee, a Year 12 student from De Lisle was able to support the event 
and below is her blog post summarising the event. 

The purpose of this conference was to share initiatives to help mainstream and specialist schools 
ensure education is accessible for all students. According to attendee and organiser Ruth 
Hurcombe (Director of Performance and Standards at the St Thomas Aquinas Catholic MultiAcademy Trust) the event was a “Chance to hear from experts inside and outside the Trust and 
to make a difference for children in schools and allow collaboration.” There were a variety of 
workshops in the morning including ‘Strong foundations KS1’, ‘TA role’ and ‘inclusive classroom’. 

This was followed by a Keynote Speech in the afternoon led by Rosalind Hopkins (Director of 
Specialist Provision at Discovery Trust). Key themes from the Keynote Speech included changing perspectives, specifically taking the time 
to think about whether lessons are fully accessible and how to accommodate for students who 
struggle in lesson or with attendance. It also heavily encouraged collaboration and frequent 
communication, especially between specialist and mainstream schools. When asked about what 
she took away from the speech, Ruth Hurcombe said “Specialist and mainstream schools should 
work together to solve problems and to take advice and information then use that to help a larger
number of children. There is a lot of expertise in specialist and mainstream education that can 
work together and problem solve.”

The atmosphere in the workshops was engaging; the speakers were interesting and informative. 
Discussions that took place were relevant and informative. People listened intently and many 
made notes during these sessions either on a laptop or notebook. The general atmosphere during 
changeovers or breaks was busy as many socialised and networked.
This conference was important as it encouraged collaboration and networking within the Trust
and other local schools. It has also allowed people to share and discuss ideas allowing people to 
take this new information and improve how they approach these matters. Ruth believes that “any 
training is empowering for working with young people and these conferences allows us to share 
knowledge.”

The collaborative nature of this conference was vital as it brings a variety of knowledge and ideas 
that people can use, share and take away from the event. This may include a new perspective on 
an aspect of their job or guidance for an area of improvement. Ruth also mentioned that “Working 
together, people can share expertise and think of children in our settings and learn from different 
perspectives.”

Thank you to everyone involved in the event.